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Luca Forgeois joins USF2000 program for Mid-Ohio tripleheader

7.26.13 – The only team in INDYCAR to have entries in each series, including the Mazda Road to Indy, announced today a third driver to their Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda roster in Luca Forgeois.

New York City native Forgeois began competing in go-karts at age 13 and then moved on to the USF2000 Championship in 2011 where he won the National Class Championship with six wins and 10 overall podium finishes. The 18-year-old joins Andretti Autosport’s championship winning team to partner with the current duo of Garett Grist and Austin Cindric for the tripleheader weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on August 3 and 4; Forgeois will pilot the No. 8 Café Noir/Splashlight machine.

“I'm really looking forward to getting back in the car after three months,” Luca said. “I was having a tough time in the beginning of the season and was having trouble getting back on my feet. Dealing with things off of the track, I was having trouble keeping focused. Due to some unfortunate circumstances, I've been out of the car for a while. I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity handed to me by the Andretti Autosport team.

“I haven't had the smoothest career path thus far, and have hit a lot of rough patches and it's been quite a bit difficult. So, getting the chance to race with one of the top teams in USF2000 and the overall Mazda Road to Indy is phenomenal. Teams don't often bother giving a driver an opportunity mid-season, so once again I cannot thank the entire Andretti organization enough. I'm really looking forward to getting back in the car and just getting some good results for them.”

Andretti Autosport Vice President of Racing Operations Kyle Moyer is happy to welcome Forgeois on board. “Luca tested for us at the Chris Griffis Memorial Mazda Road to Indy test back in October (2012), and we saw he was a great fit for the team. We’re really looking forward to having him join us at Mid-Ohio and excited to further explore his potential.”

The New Yorker will next step into his Mazda-powered Andretti Autosport USF2000 car on Thursday, August 1 for the series’ open test prior to the tripleheader weekend.